Thursday, January 3, 2013

My last post was about the whirlwind of 2012. It was crazy, wonderful, rewarding, exhausting and fulfilling all at once. And often times all those things in a single day!

I have some pretty lofty expectations of myself for 2013. I know some of you are going to tell me I am crazy, but I've given all of this a lot of thought. Chris and I have talked through everything and I have his full support. As for my friends and family, well, you are going to fall into one of two categories. You will either a) support and encourage me or, b) not support me and enable my flaky nature. If you fall into the "b" segment, please expect a verbal lashing from me. Consider yourselves warned.

So, with that here's what 2013 will bring and why!

1. I am going to be a better friend. In the past three months, I have witnessed two separate instances with two different friends where I learned the lesson of loyalty and priorities. My own family will always come first, but there is never an excuse to not return a voice mail or text message. Being lazy should never trump a long walk with a friend in need. This is important to me because I want to raise my son to be a caring, thoughtful and patient man. Being lazy and/or putting a video game (for example) before a friend in need is not going to fly in this house. Someday I may be the friend in need.

2. I am going to take better care of myself. This is pretty open-ended and means a lot of things. Namely, I want to boost my immune system, get to a more healthy weight, eat more of God's food and less of Man's food, exercise regularly but not obsessively, and get more fresh air. This goal doesn't mean measuring, weighing, timing, tracking or counting. I want Bryan to grow up to understand the value of food and that it's what fuels our bodies. You can put any liquid in a gas tank, but that doesn't mean the car will run. I want to lead by example so that he will grow up to be a healthy adult with good habits in place.

A screenshot of my running log!

3. I am going to run 1,000 miles this year. I have registered for the Colfax half-marathon on May 19, the BolderBoulder 10k on May 27, the Rock 'n' Roll half marathon in Cleveland on October 5 and the Rock 'n' Roll half marathon in Denver on October 20. Because I am essentially starting from scratch today (having not exercised in two months and have not done any consistent running since, ahem, August 2011), this will be a mighty task. But I have a plan. A weekly road map of how much I should run and a log of how far I actually ran. Fifty-two weeks of awesome if you ask me. This is where I expect you to tell me I am nuts. And if you do, please see above paragraph and prepare for lashing. I will not tolerate any flakiness enablers, haters, discouragement or excuses! Here is a list of why I am doing this for Bryan:

I want him to grow up believing that he is capable of anything if he sets his mind to it. Sure, I can tell him this every day for the rest of his life. But wouldn't it be better for him to witness that it's possible?

I want him to see that being active affords you opportunities in this life. It helps clear your mind so you can focus on your work later, it allows you time to talk to God, it keeps you young and healthy, it will help him avoid the unhealthy genetics he was born into (cholesterol., blood pressure, diabetes, etc.), it helps you set and achieve goals and gives mornings a purpose!

This will be an hour every day that we can spend together because I am going to take him with me as much as I can. Whether it's in the jogging stroller, on his bike with training wheels, or running by my side. It will be an hour of chatting, or just being together. If he hates running, I'll take up whatever it is he loves. I hear there are good swimmers in the area (Missy Franklin!)

Finding something that you love that costs next to nothing to do and can be done anywhere is a hobby that will stick with you for the rest of your life. My friend Kim's Dad is going to run a marathon in September in New Zeeland which completes his running of a marathon on every continent. Mr. Doty is in his mid-60's. That's awesome. Even if you never run a race, it is an activity with no learning curve, no right or wrong, and definitely no losers! By running, you will always be faster than the person who never started.

Now the list of why I am doing this for me:

See one through four above.

Because I need some fresh air every day.

Because I can.

Because I get girl time with one of my BFFs for every long run!

I have never had so much confidence in EVERYTHING that I did than when I was running.

Because I love it. Even when I am slow.

That's it. Three goals, especially THESE three goals, ought to keep me on my toes this year. Literally!